The Horror of the West
by ChronicCataclysm
Summary: A couple head to their cottage on a small, coniferous island surrounded by water only to be terrorized by a man who could be lurking anywhere.
1. PACKING

The Horror of the West

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Rated (M):

_Bloody Horror Violence, Strong Language and Sexuality_

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**PART I: PACKING**

"That was my shirt!"

"And those were my pants…."

Clarice turned towards Don; he held a smirk upon his chiseled face. She was right; they were fighting not more than a day after their wedding.

"Alright, we'll see who has the last laugh," she said.

She pulled a shiny quarter from her pocket, "heads and I pack everything my way."

Don rolled his eyes. _She's as crazy as her mother said she was_.

"Flip away," he said.

He watched as her thumb popped upward, hit the quarter, and sent it flying straight into the air. It glistened in the sunlight - which peeked in from the window they stood in front of.

The yellow paint that covered the walls of the house held a golden tone in the warming light. Don leaned very slightly against an oak table, its polished surface letting him see himself. His eyes followed the quarter up until it hit the ceiling, its rough texture ricocheting the quarter off into the living room.

Clarice ran so quickly out of the kitchen that a gust of air hit Don in the face, sweeping his hair around in circles.

"Fuck!"

Don heard Clarice cursing from the connecting room. An almost evil looking smile split his lips. He stepped into the doorway and saw Clarice bent over, staring at the quarter as though it would flip over.

"Well, looks like I'm packing."

"No, stupid. I stubbed my toe."

Looking utterly displeased with himself, he peered at the quarter.

"Well, shit."

Clarice smiled and stood up, but Don saw this coming and ran over to her. He scooped her feet out from under her and she fell into his arms. He carried her with ease, out of the room and into their bedroom which was just down the hall.

"I think we have some time to spare," he softly whispered in her ear.

Clarice laughed. Both fell onto the bed.

"I've got some new moves…."


	2. ON THE WAY

**PART II: ON THE WAY**

Throwing a couple backpacks into their jeep, Clarice threw the vehicle into first gear and throttled the gas, leaving Don struggling to click his seatbelt into place. The two sped out of the driveway and onto the street.

It was a loud neighborhood. Children were always running around, laughing and screaming. A young boy – probably that of the next door neighbor – ran past their jeep, screaming as another chased him. Don smiled. _Oh, boy. Those were the times._

He watched as people flew past, even though it was him that was moving – quite rapidly too.

"Do you enjoy speeding?"

"Actually, very much."

Clarice gave Don a look that made him burst out laughing.

"That look was golden."

She didn't reply.

She didn't need to.

Instead she kept on driving. They were already out of town, flying down a deserted single-lane road.

"How long do you think it'll take to get there?"

Don's voice sounded anxious.

Clarice shrugged. She didn't even know how far it was.

"I suppose another couple days' worth driving?"

"Oh my," Don sounded worried, "that long?"

"Well just think about it. We're driving from Florida to British Columbia," said Clarice.

And that was that. It was obviously going to take forever, and Don knew this. His eyes moved from Clarice to the window, observing.

The landscape flew past at an exceedingly fast rate. Distant hills seemed to bob up and down, giving the illusion of waves in the ocean. Trees of all types whipped past the jeep. There were pine trees that towered above cedar trees and pine trees that stood over other pine trees. Don watched as they all launched past in a blurry streak. He imagined his arm getting ripped off as he tried to grab one – a thought that snapped him out of the hypnotic state he had entered. He looked around once more. Everything seemed normal – or did it? They were now on a road that was narrower than the previous. The trees had grouped closer together, almost hugging each other.

Don looked at Clarice, who in turn looked back. She looked as though she were about to fall asleep at the wheel.

"Where are we now?"

Clarice yawned, "Just entering British Columbia."

Don's eyes widened. His jaw almost hit the floor.

"How long have you been driving?"

"Too long," said Clarice, her voice was cold and distant.

Her eyes slipped open and closed. For a moment, Don heard the car engine rev. He saw the lane they were in slowly inch to the right. Cars in the opposite lane were now coming closer to hitting their car. He looked at Clarice – her head was now on the steering wheel.

She had dozed off.

"CLARICE!"

Don threw his hands around the steering wheel and turned it to the right. A car blasted its horn as it just barely missed their car. They swerved back into their lane and then back out of it on the opposite side. Clarice jolted upright and looked around through bloodshot eyes. The car was driving right towards a huge sign.

Clarice let out a shrill scream as they hurtled forward. Through the rearview mirror, Don saw the driver behind them gaping in horror. Clarice slammed on the brakes but it was too late.

SCREECH – BOOM.

The sound echoed out across the landscape. It was the sound of impending death.

The driver behind them hit the brakes, which let out a deafening squeal.

Obviously he had seen it all.

He ran towards the wreckage as smoke rose in a perfect column towards the sky.


	3. BREAKDOWN

**PART III: BREAKDOWN**

Tragic.

The only word to explain what had just happened.

Clarice's eyes slowly shifted open once again. She looked around; metal was strewn everywhere. A small fire had erupted from the center of the wreckage. She lifted her head.

There must have been an intense pain, but she felt nothing.

Undoing her seatbelt, she crawled away from her seat – which now lay on the ground some distance from what was left of her car.

Where was Don?

"HEY!"

Her eyes found the driver – the only witness – who was running over to her.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

She didn't know. Actually, come to think of it, she really hadn't thought about whether or not she had any injuries.

Checking herself, she saw a gaping wound in her side, split open as if a huge knife had been dragged over it. Blood was leaking out of it.

Clarice almost gagged. _Wonderful._

Really, there was nothing particularly "wonderful" about her wounds.

Her vision flickered.

And her head suddenly became extremely heavy. It was like someone was pushing her towards the ground. She reached for her head and felt her own fluids run down her fingers. A throbbing sensation overtook her, and she wondered for a moment whether she had actually lost a limb.

But she didn't have long to think, for with a thud, she collapsed.

And the world retreated into darkness.


End file.
